The sharp edge of a bet
by ShadowDianne
Summary: Prompt via tumblr; How about Amberle trying her hands at knife throwing and being really bad at it?
**Set on; earlier stages of their partnership but for the sakes of simplicity they are already alone, no Crispin, no Cephalo.**

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The rover girl looked up from where she was seated- one leg bent, the other as a support for her chin while she worked on sharpening her knife, when the voices of both Amberle and Wil came floating into the clearing the three of them had found a few hours before. Both the boy and the princess entering on it seconds before. Now, the dimming light of the sunset was the only thing that aided the human in order to see but even with such poor light she was able to distinguish Wil's eyes on Amberle's back when the girl surpassed him, leaving near the rover the tree's branches they had go to find half an hour ago.

"I was starting to worry that you've been attacked by a troll" The seated girl commented in a tone she hoped was as cold as she wished it was.

Wil scratched the back of his head as he walked passed the two girls, kneeling in front of what soon would be their fire for the night. Eretria didn't move a muscle though, not even bothering to appear mildly interested on the task.

Amberle, who was still near her, turned to look at her, a glint of both warning and weariness on her pupils.

"I think that I would be able to defend myself if that ever happened"

Eretria smirked at that, sensing that behind those words the both of them were remembering the first time they had met. "Are you sure of that, princess?"

The salacious tone made the elf girl to look at Wil, nostrils flaring as she tried to remain calm and controlled like she had been taught to do. However, and to her chagrin, Eretria wasn't exactly a noble who would know when to stop but a rover who wanted to keep playing with her.

"Because" The rover girl kept talking, her voice lowering an octave as Wil did his best to act as if he wasn't listening what was happening a few feet behind him. "I really think you would be in trouble"

Amberle rose as tall as she was and eyed the now smirking rover, her eyes glowing in the more-than-ever dark clearing. However, as the first weak flames started to lick the wood they had brought in she could distinguish Eretria's shadow trembling at her feet, the rover's smirk only growing as she kept sharpening the blade of her knife, the long sound that came from it stretching the silence that had fallen between the two of them.

"I still can remember how I showed you that I'm not a damsel in distress, rover" She finally said back, a smile of her own parting her lips. Movement that, she realized, was followed by Eretria's pupils as the rover stood up, newly sharpened knife between them.

"Girls…" Wil said but neither of them turned to look at him, too caught up on each other. The fire was now on full force, the smell of slowly burning pinecones and resin floating and filling the clearing.

"I remember you trying to teach me a lesson and then ending up being captured" Eretria muttered, eyes narrowing, pupils widening ever so slightly as she bent, closer than ever to Amberle whose smile widened, realizing she had indeed won that round.

"If you want to see it like that…" She replied, shrugging smugly, raising her chin ever so slightly as she looked at the human girl through half-closed eyelids, glad she had managed to corner Eretria instead of the other way around.

Throwing one more smile at the human she turned, releasing the breath she had unconsciously been holding ever since the other brunette had stood. Her smirk was short-lived though as Eretria's voice, still strangely deep for what she could distinguish rose between the now crackling flames.

"Show me then how good you are with a knife. Surely you, an elven princess, will know how to defend yourself with one"

Amberle turned, livid as Eretria offered her own with her right hand, the other on her cocked hip as she eyed her, smirk and glow on her eyes growing. The elf was vaguely aware that Wil had just cleared his throat but she found herself nodding and taking a step towards the rover, grabbing the knife and muttering through half-clenched teeth what both Eretria and she were thinking. "Believe me when I'm telling you that I still remember what you did to me"

"When we captured both of you?" Eretria replied, tilting her head in mockery "Yes, I bet"

Amberle showed her teeth as she picked up the knife, suddenly feeling dumb as she saw how Eretria crossed her arms in front of her, not showing any signs of being about to defend herself.

"What do you want me to do with this knife?" She finally questioned, paying no attention to Wil who called for the two of them once again.

Eretria ignored the boy as well, flashing the elven girl a smile as she pointed at the trees that were closer to the fire, their bark visible.

"How about you show me if you are able to hit one of those, princess?"

Amberle licked her lips and turned, remembering what her uncle Ander had taught her about situations like that. She had never been good with the bow, not even after the hours upon hours she had taken in order to impress first her father then her uncles and grandfather. She would forever be better at hand-in-hand combat. Which was in fact something that elves preferred to not engage on. But she wouldn't give the other girl the satisfaction of having won without fighting back. Placing her left foot in front of her she tried to change her gravity center just like she had been taught, her back arching under the eyes of both Eretria and Wil; the first set smiling smugly yet interested when the human girl realized the awkward position Amberle's body seemed to have taken. The second set worriedly staring and yet not sure if she needed to actually doing something in order to stop whatever was happening now between the two girls.

Amberle breathed in slowly, feeling the weight of the knife's handle as she focused on the nearest tree. She just needed to hit the bark and prove Eretria wrong. Just that.

With a swishing sound the knife took off from her hand…

… And surpassed the tree, falling a few feet behind it, clearly digging itself at the right side of the tree.

Dejectedly Amberle turned, waiting for the cruel comment she was sure she would receive. Instead, Eretria walked towards the knife, picked it and approached back the elven girl. Her smirk now just an insinuated curve on her upper lip.

"Not bad" She said, eyes glinting as she tapped Amberle's sternum with the handle of the knife. "We could work on that though"

And with one last wink she turned, pocketing the knife back on her boots as she seated at Wil's right, the boy not daring to look at her nor at Amberle's when the girl finally seated, eyes set on the human who kept looking smugly at her from the course of their meagre dinner.

"I would teach you, Eretria" She thought as she unconsciously licked her lips "Just wait and you will see"


End file.
